New book

Photo Nuts and Post is the third installation in the Photo Nuts series and it just launched!
Written by professional photographer, Neil Creek, it gives you the tools you need to make processing work for you. Even if you have experience in editing, you can always learn new tricks.
To celebrate, they are offering 33% off if you buy today -Click here to read more!

Monday, February 20, 2012

What DSLR Camera Should I Buy?

Some of you may be out there spending your tax refund on goodies, so just in case you might be thinking about investing in a camera, I wanted to talk about which camera might be the best to start out with.

I get a lot of questions from readers about what camera would be a good one to buy. Most beginners want to know about Nikon or Canon, though there are other great cameras out there too. I know that most help is geared towards using either of these brands as well, so I will stick to these. I want to point out though, in the end it’s not about what brand/model camera you have, but the person taking the photos that matters.

Lens

Purchasing glass (lens) is a very important step in starting your photography journey. I cannot stress enough - do not buy the “kit” lens that is offered. Instead, buy a 50mm f/1.8 lens for Canon or the 35mm f/1.8 for Nikon. These lens will allow you to take photos in lower light and create bokeh (images with the subject in focus and the background blurry).

Buy the Canon 50mm f/1.8 Lens


Buy Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens



You will also want a telephoto lens like the 24-70mm f2.8 lens available for both brands. This lens works well for walk around and portrait.

Both lens types are great lens to start out with until you get the hang of it and want to buy more, and trust me, you will!

Bodies

Sticking with the Canon and Nikon, the Canon Rebel T1i for Canon users, or the Nikon D5000 are good camera to have for your first couple of years-or longer if you want. They have excellent sized megapixels and handle well for portrait photographers. Either of these cameras would be enough to use in a portrait business. If you are thinking of becoming a wedding photographer, you will want to upgrade before going pro (another post in the making!.

Buy Canon EOS Rebel T1i (Body Only)


Buy Nikon D5000 (Body Only)

Recommended Places to Buy your Camera

Just my two cents worth, I buy all my equipment on these three sites; Amazon,
Adorama, and B&H.


Learn How to use Your Awesome New Camera

My favorite recommendation to learn about your camera would be the Photo Nuts and Bolts: Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos

4 comments:

Casey Martinez said...

really neat site that any photographer can enjoy browsing! I also agree that the 50mm 1.8 is an excellent starter lens for any photog. The price is unbeatable and the quality is really awesome. I used that lens for the first 3 years of my business and only recently delved into pricier equipment. Good post!

Lisa Gordon said...

So much useful information here.
Thank you!!!

Stasha said...

What a lovely site you created! I swear by Extremly essential Camera skills but the other tutorial you mentioned looks great too!

Dude for Food said...

Great tip, now I want really want that 50mm lens! Your site is awesome! And thanks too for dropping by my blog!